Cheboygan looks to earn playoff berth with homecoming victory

The Chiefs, who stand at 5-2 after seven games, will have the chance to put that statement to rest when they host the Benzie Central Huskies on homecoming night at Western Avenue Field on Friday at 7 p.m. A victory over the Huskies would assure the Chiefs of a playoff spot as they would claim their sixth win of the season.

CHEBOYGAN — Since 2009, the Cheboygan football team hasn't tasted postseason play.

The Chiefs, who stand at 5-2 after seven games, will have the chance to put that statement to rest when they host the Benzie Central Huskies on homecoming night at Western Avenue Field on Friday at 7 p.m.

A victory over the Huskies would assure the Chiefs of a playoff spot as they would claim their sixth win of the season.

"Six wins gets you ten (games), that's something we've talked about," said Cheboygan coach Jack Coon, whose squad pulled out a crucial 28-27 overtime victory over Sault Ste. Marie last Friday to keep their playoff hopes alive. "We're not beating the drums over it, but at the same time, we're very aware of the moments of our lives where we get the chance to play high school football, and there's one coming up on Friday."

Not only will the Chiefs have the chance to get into the postseason, they'll be able to do it on homecoming in front of their fans, former Cheboygan players and coaches.

While the game will be a critical one for the Chiefs, the homecoming part of it is just about for anyone attending.

"I don't know if the kids get too geeked up for homecoming because homecoming at the high school level is nothing more than your classmates," Coon said. "I get a little bit more excited for homecoming because I get to see former players come back, I look forward to that. It's fun to walk onto the field and to see some of your players leaning on the fence. So really—with the real definition of homecoming—it's really more for those alumni and those who have been around for some time."

With plenty of excitement expected on homecoming night, Coon and his players know there's still a huge task at hand. Despite Benzie Central (3-4) coming off a huge loss to Kingsley last week, Coon believes the Huskies are more than capable of playing well against his team.

"As much as it is fun and everything, float building, the games you play and the assembly, it's still the responsibility of the football program, on homecoming, to win the game," he said. "You have to. I know what it's like to lose a game on homecoming, you feel low. As far as Benzie goes, I do see that they have a couple of capable players out there that can hurt us."

Among those players is junior Javi Rodriguez, who Coon said has 'exceptional' speed at the halfback position, while Nick McGeer is a 5-10, 225-pound fullback who runs with power. Quarterback Cory Bach will be a passing threat for the Huskies and wide receiver Drew Bird is the team's top receiver.

Page 2 of 2 - "You can see them hook up on every film, and they're making that connection, sometimes six or seven times a game," Coon said. "There's a passing threat, there's an obvious running threat. They have had problems stopping some people, so that's where I hope our offense can maintain possession and try to control the tempo of the game."

The Cheboygan offense will certainly look to expose the flaws of the Benzie Central defense, who gave up 73 points in their loss to Kingsley.

Cheboygan, who rushed for 298 yards last week, will once again rely on junior Nik Bevier, who ran for 142 yards on 17 carries against the Sault. Andrew Dixon and Ben Pearson also look to help out the Cheboygan rushing attack, while senior quarterback Damon Proctor hopes to make plays through the air on Friday.

With a victory, Coon said it would be a great accomplishment for the 2012 Cheboygan team.

"We need to get back into the habit of qualifying for the playoffs like we always used to do. This year we can start that again," he said. "We don't have a conference, we're independent, so our only chance of getting hardware and recognition for our program is to win our district. We don't have that conference championship out there we get to shoot for like we used to in the other leagues that we were in. The goal is to get in the playoffs, let's accomplishment that, and when we get in there, let's work to get some hardware."

To listen the game on Friday night tune into WCBY 1240 AM at 6:45 p.m. or go to www.cheboyganfootball.com.